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Dale leans on the doorframe keeping out of the room while the women look at the cracks and explore the edges. He suggests. "Maybe try some fluid to see where lowest spot is located?"

Thelma kneels to look at the floor, "We should not be standing on it if it is a trap, but it could be a pit." She shifts to be near the door and looks at the area for trap triggers and latching points. Standing, Thelma asks, "Is that a key device, Eloise?"

If Dale does indeed pour some water onto the floor, it is moving kind of undecidedly, the floor is more or less level, perhaps slanting a bit towards the inner doord, especially if someone is standing there.

(Thelma and Eloise are in the great hall now to examine the wooden walls and their frieze.)

Indeed, upon close examination, on each side of the inner doors, there is one symbol where the circular groove seems to be deeper than the other's. Pressing it yields no results, but it is possible, with some effort, to turn it 90 degrees. The panel moves forward a bit, and it is possible to open the secret door.

It leads into the space between the stone and wood walls, which is about a foot and a half wide. when their eyes have adjusted to the darkness, the group see that a large beam with two iron handles is close to the inner stone wall. It is connected to another, horizonal, beam that lies in a groove of the stone floor.

"See I knew it was something." Eloise grins happily, "I wonder what this is now..?" waiting for the others to come back in she checks the walls of the great hall. looking at the frieze.

The frieze continues along the two walls that house the vestibule, but does not continue on any other wall. It might have been put there just to conceal the opening mechanism of the secret doors.

It looks like on the left side of the hall, there used to be wand panelling and seats, but most of it has been hacked awaycoarsely, chopped up for firewood most likely. The decorated banisters of the stairwell have been left intact, however. Saul has already looked at the "cupboard under the stairs" on the kitchen side (to the right of the stairs).

"Come inside, already.", Thelma jokes with a smile to the others, "I think we got the most obvious trap, so far." Pausing, she knees to inspect the base of the stairs, "Maybe."

She looks at the hacked up area while the rest of the group moves up with them.

The hacked-up area is pell-mell. Smaller chips of wood lying around in the dirt and dust, clustered in one place, suggest that the larger pieces of wood have been cut down to provide firewood. Some of the chips indeed trail towards the front doors.

Noticing that the floor is quite dirty and dusty, Thelma can follow a slightly less dusty path to the stairs and up, on the left side.

"I bet this place was rather nice once upon a time." The young girl comments, brushing her fingers over the frieeze, "Its quite pretty." She waits for the others, standing by the door.

(Yes, please. Everybody tell me where you characters are and what you want to do next. A few people are ill, we should wait for everyone to report back before we proceed.)

*one of the ill people*

Dale moves into the room to see what is inside while drawing his weapon.

Christopher crosses the foyer hurriedly, not trusting the floor, and looks around the hall
"So someone has damaged this place. They've chopped up the woodwork. I wonder if they were looking for something in particular. And did they find it?"

[OOC] Does the damage look recent? Is there dust on the debris, or is it fresh? In fact, is there dust anywhere in the room, and if so, is there anyplace where there is less of it, that might indicate people have been using or passing through particular areas? [/OOC]

"Wood for fuel, perhaps?" Dale suggests as he looks around. He moves past the front section, too.

What is the frieeze of?

Breila wrote:The hacked-up area is pell-mell. Smaller chips of wood lying around in the dirt and dust, clustered in one place, suggest that the larger pieces of wood have been cut down to provide firewood. Some of the chips indeed trail towards the front doors.

Noticing that the floor is quite dirty and dusty, Thelma can follow a slightly less dusty path to the stairs and up, on the left side.

Breila wrote:At about 5 feet, a frieze is set into the wood, consisting of a row of symbols carved into a band of wood of a different kind.
The circle is a deep groove, and the shades areas are depressions cut out of the wood.

(see pic on p. 28)

Saul nods at Dale's comment. "Most likely used to stoke the forge down below. It's easier to destroy this and use the materials than it is to go cut your own firewood. Less conspicuous, too."